Page 14 of Accidental Dad's Best Friend

Ethan- Your blog is good. Better than good, actually.

Izzy- Thanks. Why are you reading it?

I know I’m kind of being a bitch but all of this is inappropriate. But I don’t know what to say to him. I don’t know where to start. All I know is I am not ready for him to find out about Jaxon and I don’t know if I ever will be.

Ethan- Because I need a writer.

I snort out a laugh at that.

Izzy- Are you offering me a “job”?

Ethan- Why the quotes?

Izzy- Because the last time you offered me a pity job it was with other intentions.

Ethan- Okay, first of all Isabelle, there were no intentions. The job I was offering you wasn’t out of pity, it was because you are a phenomenal writer. And second, everything else that happened was your doing too.

Izzy- I’m not working for you. And subscribers are paying readers, you know that right?

Ethan- And I paid. Maybe you should check your inbox. I’ll wait.

I roll my eyes. The fact he thinks he can tell me what to do is infuriating. The fact he is reading my blog and offering me a job that no doubt has a motive behind it is infuriating. The fact that he thinks he can come on here and get away with just paying—holy shit.

“Holy shit.”

“That’s a bad word!” Jaxon reminds me.

“Sorry baby…” I trail off before muttering a string of holy shits under my breath.

Because Ethan paid alright. But he didn’t just pay the weekly $7. He didn’t even just pay for a quarterly subscription or even a year. He’s the first person to hit the OTHER button on payment. And the amount is…infuriating.

Ethan- I feel like there should be elevator music playing…

Izzy- What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!

Ethan- …maybe the Jeopardy! theme song…

Izzy- Who do you think you are sending that kind of money?

Ethan- I think you meant thank you’ for liking my blog enough to send me five grand. We’ll call in the lifetime subscription. A steal if you think about it.

At this point I am seeing red and I am done. I press the call button and march down the hall, closing the bathroom door behind me.

“Hello Isabelle.” Ethan’s voice fills the phone and it fills me with a thousand mixed feelings.

“Take the money back. I don’t need charity.”

“It’s not charity.”

“Then what is it?” I snap. I’m trying to keep my voice down but it’s kind of hard considering I want to climb through the phone and strangle the man for just showing up in my life again.

“It’s just a couple grand. It’s not a big deal. And if you’re working at a clothing store and blogging on the side, that tells me you need it.”

“Are you…are you stalking me?”

“Of course not. But I did look you up,” he says casually, which only makes me angrier.

“Why? Did my dad ask you to?” I spit out.

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